Paul Rubens Vs Faber Castell Pastels

Paul Rubens Vs Faber Castell Pastels

Last updated: July 22, 2026

Faber-Castell is one of the most trusted names in art supplies. German engineering. 260+ years of history. When someone searches for "faber castell pastels," they expect quality.

But here's the thing most people don't realize.

Faber-Castell's strength is pencils. Graphite. Colored pencils. Polychromos. That's where they dominate.

Oil pastels That's a different story.

I've spent months comparing Faber-Castell oil pastels against Paul Rubens sets across every category that matters: texture, pigment load, blending, color variety, and value per stick. This is the breakdown nobody else is giving you.

No sponsorship angle. No fluff. Just what I found.

The Core Difference: What Faber-Castell Pastels Are (And Aren't)

Let me set the record straight before we go further.

Faber-Castell makes two tiers of oil pastels:

• Student-grade oil pastels — 12, 24, or 36 colors. Around $8 to $15. These are the ones most people encounter.
• Goldfaber Studio oil pastels — a step up, roughly $20 to $40. Better pigment, slightly smoother.

Neither tier is artist-grade in the way Sennelier or even Paul Rubens is.

That's not a criticism. Faber-Castell designed their oil pastels for students, classrooms, and casual use. They do that job well.

But when you compare them against a brand that specifically engineered their oil pastels for serious artists The gap is noticeable.

Here's where it gets real.

BEST VALUE STARTER SET

Paul Rubens 48 Vibrant Colors Oil Pastel Set

$35.99

• 48 vibrant colors + 6 bonus white sticks
• Butter-soft, high-pigment formula
• $0.75 per stick — comparable to Faber-Castell Goldfaber
• Professional-grade blending capability

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Texture and Creaminess: The Biggest Gap

Pick up a Faber-Castell oil pastel. Apply it to paper. Now pick up a Paul Rubens stick.

The difference is immediate.

Faber-Castell oil pastels feel waxy. Firm. You need moderate pressure to get decent color transfer. On textured paper, the strokes can look scratchy unless you really push down. The binder-to-pigment ratio leans heavier on wax, which gives them durability but sacrifices that smooth, painterly feel.

Paul Rubens oil pastels feel like drawing with soft butter. The stick practically melts onto the surface. Light pressure gives you full, rich color. Heavy pressure gives you thick, impasto-like deposits that you can sculpt with a palette knife.

This isn't subtle. Side by side, it's the difference between a crayon and a paint stick.

Now — does that mean Faber-Castell's texture is bad

No. Firmer oil pastels have their place. They hold a point better. They're less messy. They don't break as easily when kids handle them. For classroom use, the firmer formula is actually smarter.

But for anyone doing serious oil pastel art — blending, layering, solvent work, atmospheric effects — the softer formula wins every time.

Pigment Load and Color Vibrancy

Here's something most comparison articles skip.

The pigment concentration in an oil pastel determines how vivid your colors look on paper, how well they layer, and how they age over time. Higher pigment load = richer, more archival results.

Faber-Castell student-grade pastels use a balanced formula optimized for cost. The colors are decent — they look fine in a student portfolio. But lay them next to a higher-pigment stick and you'll notice the difference immediately. The reds are less saturated. The blues lack depth. The earth tones feel flat.

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Studio is better. Noticeably more pigment. But still not in the same league as Paul Rubens' formula.

Paul Rubens uses a high-pigment formulation across the board. Their reds punch hard. Their ultramarine blues have real depth. And the specialty colors — the muted botanicals in the Floral set, the atmospheric greens in the Landscape set — have a complexity that you simply don't find in a standard assorted set from any brand at this price.

Bottom line: if vibrancy matters to your work, the pigment gap is real.

MOST POPULAR SET

Paul Rubens 72 Vibrant Colors Oil Pastel Set

$54.99

• 72 colors with included oil pastel paper pad
• 240gsm acid-free mixed media paper (30 sheets)
• $0.76 per stick — unbeatable at this color count
• Full spectrum coverage for any subject

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Color Range: 36 vs 192

This is where the comparison becomes almost unfair.

Faber-Castell's oil pastel lineup maxes out at 36 colors. That's it. One standard assorted set. No themed variations. No expanded palette options. If you need a specific muted green or a warm grey, you're mixing from what you have.

Paul Rubens The range is staggering:

• 48 Vibrant Colors — $35.99 (general purpose)
• 50 Classic Soft Colors — $37.99 (traditional palette)
• 72 Vibrant Colors — $54.99 (with paper pad included)
• 72 Floral Colors — $56.99 (botanical/portrait palette)
• 78 Landscape Colors — $53.99 (nature-inspired)
• 192 Grand Artist Colors — $107.00 (the full professional range)

Read that list again. There are themed sets curated for specific subject matter. The Floral set has pinks, mauves, and skin tones that portrait and botanical artists actually need. The Landscape set has atmospheric greens, subtle earth tones, and sky blues that plein air painters use constantly.

Faber-Castell gives you one set of 36 generic colors and says "figure it out."

That's not a knock on Faber-Castell. They simply don't position oil pastels as a priority product line. But if oil pastels are YOUR priority medium The choice is obvious.

FLORAL SERIES

72 Floral Colors

$56.99

Curated for portraits, botanicals, and floral subjects

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LANDSCAPE SERIES

78 Landscape Colors

$53.99

Nature-inspired palette for landscapes and plein air

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Blending Performance

Blending is the number one reason artists choose oil pastels over other dry media.

So this category matters. A lot.

With Faber-Castell student-grade pastels, blending requires work. The firmer wax formula resists smooth transitions. You can blend them — using your finger, a tortillon, or mineral spirits — but the results are streaky compared to softer brands. Colors sit on top of each other rather than melting together.

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Studio performs better. The transitions are smoother, and solvent blending works reasonably well. But it still feels like you're pushing the medium to do something it wasn't optimized for.

Paul Rubens oil pastels blend like they were born for it. Because they were.

Finger blending produces smooth, gradient transitions with minimal effort. The colors merge organically. Solvent work (mineral spirits, turpentine) turns them almost into paint — you can thin them to washes or build thick, impasto textures.

And here's what really separates them: layering. Paul Rubens sticks accept layer after layer without the surface becoming slick or refusing new color. Faber-Castell's waxy formula starts resisting after 3-4 layers.

For anyone who blends extensively — portrait artists, landscape painters, anyone doing atmospheric work — this alone should decide your purchase.

Pros and Cons: Faber-Castell Pastels

Pros and Cons: Paul Rubens Oil Pastels

Price Per Stick: The Real Math

Price comparisons get misleading fast when you only look at the set price. Let's do the per-stick math.

Wait — this is important.

Look at the Paul Rubens 192-color set. $0.56 per stick for artist-grade quality. That's cheaper per stick than the Faber-Castell student 12-pack.

Even the Paul Rubens 48-set at $0.67/stick competes with Faber-Castell student pricing — but delivers artist-grade softness, pigment, and blending.

The real comparison isn't Paul Rubens vs Faber-Castell student grade. It's Paul Rubens vs Faber-Castell Goldfaber Studio. And there, at $0.97/stick for 36 Goldfaber colors versus $0.75/stick for 48 Paul Rubens colors, the math strongly favors Paul Rubens.

You get more colors, better softness, and higher pigment — for less money per stick.

Head-to-Head Feature Comparison

Let me lay it all out in one table.

Faber-Castell wins exactly two categories: durability and low mess. Both are advantages that matter most in a classroom or for young artists.

Paul Rubens wins everything else.

CLASSIC PALETTE

Paul Rubens Classic 50 Colors Soft Oil Pastel Set

$37.99

• 50 classic colors + 6 bonus white sticks
• Traditional color palette for all subjects
• Same butter-soft formula as the full range
• Ideal upgrade from Faber-Castell student sets

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Paper Compatibility

Different oil pastel textures behave differently on different papers. This matters more than most people think.

Faber-Castell on smooth paper: Works okay. The firm texture means color sits on the surface rather than gripping the tooth. You get clean lines but thin coverage.

Faber-Castell on textured paper: Better — the tooth grabs the waxy formula. But you'll see paper texture peeking through unless you apply heavy pressure.

Paul Rubens on smooth paper: Excellent coverage. The soft formula fills in smoothly and builds up quickly. Great for canson paper or sanded surfaces.

Paul Rubens on textured paper: Outstanding. The butter-soft formula fills every grain of texture without heavy pressure. Colors look rich and complete even on rough surfaces like Canson Mi-Teintes or oil pastel specialty paper.

Here's the practical takeaway: with Faber-Castell, your paper choice is limited. You need medium-heavy tooth to get good results. With Paul Rubens, almost any paper works because the soft formula adapts to the surface.

That versatility matters when you're experimenting with different papers and techniques.

Who Should Buy Which: The Decision Tree

Enough analysis. Let me make this simple.

What About Sennelier The Elephant in the Room

Any oil pastel comparison eventually circles back to Sennelier — the gold standard that costs $180+ for 72 colors.

Here's what I'll say about that.

Faber-Castell student grade is nowhere near Sennelier. Different universe. Not even the same conversation.

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Studio is closer but still a tier below. Think of it as a solid mid-range option that doesn't quite reach professional level.

Paul Rubens sits in a unique position: 80-85% of Sennelier's softness and pigment quality at roughly 30% of the price. For the vast majority of artists — everyone except professional fine artists selling gallery work — Paul Rubens delivers more than enough quality.

And frankly For the $120+ you save choosing Paul Rubens 72 over Sennelier 72, you could buy the Paul Rubens set AND a stack of good oil pastel paper AND still have money left over.

That's the value proposition nobody talks about.

PROFESSIONAL FLAGSHIP

Paul Rubens Grand Artist 192 Colors

$107.00

• 192 colors — the most extensive set at this price tier
• $0.56 per stick (cheaper than Faber-Castell student 12-pack per stick)
• Premium gift box packaging
• Complete professional palette — no color mixing needed

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Techniques Where the Difference Shows Most

Let me get specific. Here are the techniques where choosing the right brand actually changes your results.

Sgraffito (Scratching Through Layers)

You lay down multiple layers, then scratch through with a pointed tool to reveal colors underneath.

With Faber-Castell: The firm, waxy layers scratch cleanly but thinly. Limited depth of color in the revealed layers.

With Paul Rubens: The thick, pigment-rich layers create dramatic reveals. Colors underneath stay vivid. The technique looks more intentional and professional.

Solvent Blending (Turpentine/Mineral Spirits)

You dissolve the oil pastel with solvent to create paint-like washes.

With Faber-Castell: Partial dissolution. The waxy binder resists solvent more. Results can look uneven.

With Paul Rubens: Near-complete dissolution into a smooth, painterly wash. The result looks like actual oil painting. This technique alone makes Paul Rubens worth the upgrade.

Finger Blending Gradients

The most common technique — using your finger to blend two colors together.

With Faber-Castell: Requires firm pressure. Transitions show visible streaks. The blend zone is narrow.

With Paul Rubens: Light finger pressure creates wide, seamless gradients. Colors merge organically. Professional-looking results from day one.

Heavy Impasto

Building up thick, textured applications that you can shape with a palette knife.

With Faber-Castell: Difficult. The firm sticks don't deposit enough material per stroke. You'll exhaust your hand trying.

With Paul Rubens: Natural. The soft formula deposits thick color easily. You can build sculptural textures that catch light and create dimension.

My Honest Assessment: When Faber-Castell Is the Better Choice

I've spent most of this article explaining why Paul Rubens outperforms Faber-Castell in oil pastels. But I'm not going to pretend Faber-Castell doesn't have legitimate use cases.

Here's the truth.

Faber-Castell oil pastels are the right choice when:

• Budget is the primary constraint. An $8 set of 12 colors gets a child or student started with zero financial risk.
• Durability matters more than performance. Classroom settings, backpacks, travel kits where sticks get banged around.
• You want less mess. The firmer formula means less color on your hands, less smudging on surrounding pages, easier cleanup.
• You're testing whether you even like oil pastels before committing to better materials.

Those are all valid reasons. I respect them.

But the moment you decide oil pastels are your medium — the moment you want to create work you're proud of — you'll outgrow Faber-Castell student grade in about two weeks.

And that's not a criticism of Faber-Castell. It's an acknowledgment that their oil pastels serve a different purpose than what serious artists need.

Frequently Asked Questions